We are all affected. That is the message the Man Up Against Violence campaign is trying to get across to students at the University of Regina this week. Addison Docherty and Mark Kleisinger are the spokespeople for the campaign. “The idea is we’re not trying to tell people what to do or how to man up, we’re just trying to demonstrate what the ideal definition of what manhood is and it’s not about violence,” explained Kleisinger.
The campaign is holding many different events over the course of the week, including workshops and a presentation from key note speaker Jackson Katz.
Katz is an American author, filmmaker and social theorist. He conceived and founded the Mentors in Violence Prevention in
1993 and is a leading anti-sexist male activist.
Violence against women has been brought into the spotlight by recent events involving pro athletes. When Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was caught on camera hitting his partner earlier this year, there was widespread outrage.
“We need to change the way we talk about (violence) because we are seeing the numbers continue to increase,” Roz Kelsey, the Man Up Against Violence chairperson and a faculty member of the U of R kinesiology and health studies faculty, explained. “Violence against women affects men and we are challenging men to take up that conversation.”
She hopes that this campaign has a positive effect on the issue and hopes that it shows that violence affects more than just the women who are victims.
Kelsey has seen a great deal of support from the students at the U of R and praises the students for their support of the campaign.
“They’ve taken this up with such vigour and such enthusiasm. The commitment and the hours they’re putting into the project because this is their project,” Kelsey said.
The campaign is holding events the week of Oct. 27 until Oct. 31. More information about the events and campaign can be found at www.manupagainstviolence.ca.